Memories of last winter's floods returned and recent gales and rain back to back along with the dreaded foot and mouth have certainly made for a depressing time.

The Ouse, Ure, Swale, Tyne and Eden all burst their banks, resulting in fixtures galore being cancelled. The Ripon Piscatorials Open on the Ouse will now hopefully take place on Sunday 24 February.

Only Thornaby AA's Ernie Reynolds Memorial went ahead on a swollen river Tees and 33 dedicated rods turned out along the Croft match length. At the onset the river was heavily coloured and carrying an extra 2 foot but come the end it had rose a further 3 foot and single chub determined the outcome. Ray Angel of Billingham sat without a bite until the halfway stage when the river started to rise. Legering lobworm down the nearside off peg 7 just above the railway bridge Ray managed to extract a single chub of 2.15.0 enough to dispose of Thornaby's Paul Williams whose chub of 2.9.0 left him in reserve.

Most match anglers turned to stillwaters in search of competitive sport away from the raging floods.

The Woodlands Sunday Open fished on Skylark Partridge and Kestrel Lakes attracted 80 anglers but pole rods were in the minority as gusts in excess of 40 mph plagued the complex and the maggot feeder came into play.

First off Peter Rambow jnr of Diawa Cleveland put 26.2.0 onto the scales. Drawing Skylark 12 and utilising maggot he pulled out all carp supplementing his catch with a good mirror of 6.0.0.

For Hindley's John Fellows it was a bite a chuck in a real mixed bag of 21.11.0. Tench barbel rudd carp ide chub etc all kept on coming to maggot-not a fish over 1.8.0 to keep John amongst the action off Kestrel's peg 26. Talk of big carp for once took a backseat when Harry Lockwood grabbed everyone's attention when he landed a specimen golden orfe of 4.6.0 which fell to maggot feeder on maggot from Curlew Lake.

Saturday's Open - Curlew Kestrel Partridge Skylark and Wagtail (53 rods) 1 T Neesam (Elton Tackle) 27.5.0 all carp to maggot feeder of Skylark 15 2 J Allerton (Tri Cast Whizzo) 24.2.0 3 J McGarrell (Map Elton) 21.4.0

Wednesday's Open - Kestrel Partridge and Skylark (41 rods) 1 G Poole (Map Elton) 39.8.0 all small carp to maggot feeder off Skylark 23 2 K Gardner (West Yorkshire Fire Services) 38.6.0 3 J Allerton (Tri Cast Whizzo) 22.0.0.

It was nearly a full house on the Oaks Maple Lake at Sessay but the elements made it extremely difficult. Competitors had to contend with strong winds making pole presentation hard in back breaking conditions. Wakefield's Stewart Turner located the most sport heading the frame with 35.12.0. Shipping the pole out to 12 metres over to the island off peg 1 maggot encouraged the carp to feed - best 5.0.0 for a comfortable finish. Meanwhile Selby's Mick Barwick pulled the 'jackpot peg' out of the bag but slipped into runner up spot totalling 26.1.0 and it was more of the same 12 metres and maggot for all carp.

Oaks Thursday - Maple Lake (36 rods) 1 R Minikin (Harrogate AS) 37.8.0 Form peg 62 all carp including specimens to 5.0.0 on pole and pellet at 11 metres 2 R Holmes (Map Elton) 20.12.0 3 S Stock (Harrogate AS) 19.3.0. At Raker Lakes Wheldrake floating pole at 18 metres got amongst the carp on Horseshoe Lake's peg 21. Winner of Sunday's event Neil Horne of Headingley Angling Centre went over to the farside locating samples up to 3.0.0 on the maggot for 32.12.0.

It was roach and skimmers for 2nd place Paul Kozyra. Drawing peg 16 Paul worked the pole to 14 metres alternating maggot and sweetcorn to keep the fish interested on his way to 26.11.0 from G Walker (Team N-Joy) 20.7.0. Small silver fish were the mainstay at Moor Monkton's Carpvale Pool with the exception winner Rob Morris of Acomb Tackle when 5 carp came to the maggot feeder before a change to pole and maggot brought a few roach rudd and skimmers for a convincing 22.8.0.

Best of the silver fish catches fell to Simon Shepherd of Bradford who

followed on 10.6.0. Pole and maggot caster hookbaits brought all roach off peg 14 from Mick Addinall Spectrum Autos 8.3.0.

TROUT NEWS

Jubilee Lakes Redworth (tel: 01388 - 772611). Wild wet and windy but big rainbows continue to lure anglers despite the conditions.

The venue's best last week a super fish of 15.7.0 which accepted an orange pheasant tail for a delighted Brian Lavery of Linton near Morpeth. Plenty of trout moving on the surface but control of fly lines difficult to say the least at the moment.

Black zonkers, bloodworm and orange patterns doing well. Rod average 2.5.

FIXTURES: Saturday 9 February - *Middlesbrough AC Watson Trophy Middle Swale - Gatenby to Baldersby - Tickets on 01642 / 899288. *Woodland Lakes Open - Tickets on 01845 526110. Sunday 10 February *Bradford No 1 AA Charity Open River Nidd - Cowthorpe. Tickets on 01274 / 571175. *NYSD Fed Thompson Memorial Middle Tees - Over Dinsdale. Tickets on 01325 / 262082. *Black Ox AC Wintersgill Trophy Bedale Beck Leeming. *Knaresborough Pisc Open River Nidd. Tickets on 01423 / 880262. *Tadcaster APA Open (60 pegs) River Wharfe Smaws Ings. Tickets on 01937 / 832972. *Idle and Thackley AA Open Swale at Maunby. Tickets on 01274 / 618569. *Yarm AA Adams Cup Lower Tees Yarm. *Preston Innovations Teams of 3 Champs Woodland Lakes Round 2. *Oaks Sessay Open (65 pegs) Maple Lake. Tickets on 01132 / 782168. *Carpvale Pool Open (53 pegs)- Tel: 01904 738249.